Poly-product drug use disparities in adolescents of lower socioeconomic status: Emerging trends in nicotine products, marijuana products, and prescription drugs

Greater diversification of nicotine products, marijuana products, and prescription drugs have contributed to increasing trends in adolescent poly-product use—concurrent use of 2 or more drugs—within these drug classes (e.g., nicotine use via e-cigarettes, hookah, cigars). Extant work suggests that poly-product drug use disparities may be disproportionately heightened among youth from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds, however, it is unknown whether indicators of objective SES or subjective SES differentially increase risk of poly-product use including these newly emerging drugs. This study examined associations of parental education and subjective social status (SSS: perceptions of social standing compared to society [societal SSS] or school [school SSS]) with poly-product use of nicotine products, marijuana products, and prescription drugs among adolescents (N = 2218). Lower parental education and school SSS were associated with increased odds of past or current single, dual, or multiple product use of nicotine, marijuana, and prescription drugs. Findings suggest that risk for poly-product use of emerging drugs are higher for adolescents who endorse lower perceived social standing relative to peers at school and who were from a lower parental SES background.